Romania 1940 - the Possible War: Romanian Airforce, The Royal Romanian Aeronautics in 1940

Organization, order of battle, planes (types, numbers) and additional information; photos; doctrines (cell vs. "flying circus").

ARR strength, August 1940:

Fighters:
-95 P.11f
-30 P.24E
-30 He-112B
-11 Bf-109E-3
-12 Hurricane Mk. I
-possibly some further 30 P.11c
Total: 178 (208)

Bombers:
-22 S-79B
-10 MB-210
-20 Potez 633B2
-32 He-111H-3
-22 P.37A&B
-possibly some further 19 P.23B
-possibly some further 10 Potez 543
Total: 106 (135)

Recon:
-50 IAR-37
-75 IAR-38
-95 IAR-39 (I am not sure how many were built by August 1940)
-40 Blenheim Mk. I
Total: 260

This list is a starting point. I am waiting for corrections/observations from the rest of you.

As seen above, ARR seemed more powerful when compared to airforces of Bulgaria or Hungary, at least numberwise. The large diversity of aircraft deployed meant a lot of serviceability problems, which would obviously diminish the number of aircraft ready for action. Also, many types were practically obsolete and their characteristics were modest.

Thanks a lot, Victor. But shouldn't your post have been added to the topic about the Romanian Aeronautics in 1940?

Victor gave a very good overall view. However, the numbers he mentioned are the theoretical overall numbers. Serviceability was much lower.

ARR was clearly superior in both the numbers and combat capability to their hostile neighbours - except for the USSR, of course. Small wonder, though, as both Hungary and Bulgaria was prohibited by the post-war treaties to arm themselves (until the fall fo 1938).

Finally, a small note, out of the 40 Blenheims ordered only 37 actually reached Rumania.

Gen. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on July 20, 2005 07:31 pm

I haven't noticed it when I first made the post.

ROMANIAN AERONAUTICS, SUMMER 1940 - AIRPLANES:



First, let’s take a look to how the situation evolved in the late 1930’s:

Romanian Aeronautics, October 1938*:
- 120 “information” (“informatie”, in the original text)/observation planes [IAR 37, IAR 38, Potez XXV?]
- 72 fighter planes [PZL 11 F]
- 16 bomber planes [Bloch MB 210 Verdun, Potez 543]
- 64 liaison planes [Fleet 10 G]
- 4 transport planes
- 16 seaplanes [Savoia 55, Savoia 62 bis]

Romanian Aeronautics, April 1939**:
- 50 observation planes: 30 Potez XXV and 20 SET-K 7
- 40 recon planes: IAR 37
- 96 PZL fighter planes [PZL 11 F]
- 19 bomber planes: 7 Bloch 210 [Bloch MB 210 Verdun], 6 Savoia 79 [Savoia-Marchetti 79] and5 Potez 54 [Potez 543]
- 40 liaison planes: Fleet [Fleet 10 G]
- 17 seaplanes: 12 Savoia 62 bis, 5 Savoia 55

Observation: all the dates in the brackets above belong to this post’s author.

Various plans were elaborated in order to improve the existing situation, at different levels - the general political lidership, The Air and Navy Ministry (Ministerul Aerului si Marinei), the Defence Ministry (Ministerul Apararii Nationale), The Superior Council for National Defence (Consiliul Superior al Apararii Tarii) or the army General Staff. From 1936-1937 onwards IAR designers started the work on a monoplane, low wing, all metal fighter plane, which had to be powered by a Junkers Jumo engine. In the end, the engine failed to be delivered by its German manufacturer. Also in the late 1930’s it was decided that the IAR factories should produce under license a twin engine version of the Italian Savoia-Marchetti tri-engine bomber.

Until the end of 1938, contracts were signed with foreign or indigenous manufacturers for 30 recon planes, 144 fighter planes, 80 bomber planes and 8 sea planes***. Until the beginning of 1940 procurement orders were placed for at least:
- 50 Hawker Hurricanes Mk 1 fighters from Great Britain
- 50 (according to “Top Gun” magazine, 100 - ordered in Spring 1939, to be delivered within a year; none entered service until September 1940) IAR 80 fighters from IAR factories
- 36 (according to "Top Gun” magazine, up to 100) S 79 B (Savoia-Marchetti 79 modified) twin engine “fast bomber” from IAR factories
- 50 Messerschmitt Me 109 E-3 fighters from Germany


The situation for the Summer of 1940 was:

- Fighter planes:
• 96 PZL 11 F
• 24 (36) PZL 24 E
• 30 (36) Heinkel He 112 B 1&B 2
• 12 (24) Messerschmitt Me 109 E 3
• 12 Hawker Hurricane Mk 1
• (possible 24-36 PZL 11 C, ex-Polish?)
a total of 174-204 fighters (228-240, adding the ex-Polish planes)

- Bomber planes:
• medium and medium heavy bombers:
- 32 Heinkel He 111 H 3
- 24 (32) PZL 37 "Los" A&B
- 10 (16) Bloch MB 210 Verdun
- 8 (10-16) Potez 543
(total 74-96 planes)
• medium light bombers:
24 Savoia-Marchetti S 79 B (+ another 24 IAR assembled?)
• assault planes:
- 30 (32) Potez 63 B 2
- 24 (32) PZL 23 “Karas” B
(total 54-64 planes)
a general total of 152-192 bombers

- Observation planes (source - Victor’s previous post):
• 50 IAR 37 (observation/light bomber)
• 75 IAR 38
• IAR 39 - unknown number
a total of at least 150-200 planes, judging also by the statistic for 1938

- Recon planes:
37 (40) Blenheim Mk 1 (recon/light bomber)

- Liaison planes:
Fleet 10 and Messerschmitt Me 108 Taifun, at least 40-52 planes

- Seaplanes (mainly info from this site):
• 16 (24) Savoia-Marchetti S 62 bis (recon/light bomber?)
• 8 Savoia-Marchetti S 55 A (torpedo bomber)
• 8 SET 4 H/7 H (what role?)
• (12 CANT Z 501)
• (12 Heinkel He 114 B )
a total of 32-64 seaplanes

So, the estimated general total for the Romanian Aeronautics in the Summer of 1940 would be around 513(minimal figure)-672(maximal figure) planes (without the seaplanes; 545-736 with the seaplanes included). The liaison planes, being unarmed, have not been added to this number.

Observation: the statistical situation presented above is complied from different sources. From large parts of it I used an article by Ion Taralunga, (“IAR 80”) published in “Modelism” magazine no. 24 (4/1989), p. 6, and info from this site. When the data was uncertain, I’ve tried to apply the existing organizational structure of the ARR (12 planes per fighter squadron, 8 planes per bomber squadron) to sort things out, so both the minimal and the maximal figures tend to force the existing data into this pattern (the first downwards, the second upwards).




NOTES:

* Ministry of the National Defense Archive, Ministry of Air and Navy section (“fond”), old inventory, dossier no. 501/1338, page 4, in Pascu, S., Ceausescu, I., Musat M.., Ardeleanu I. (coord.) - Romania in anii celui de-al doilea razboi mondial, Editura Militara, Bucuresti, 1989 (vol. 1), p. 205

** Ministry of the National Defense Archive, General Staff section (“fond”), Section 1, dossier no. 1786, p. 7, in Pascu, S., Ceausescu, I., Musat M.., Ardeleanu I. (coord.) - Romania in anii celui de-al doilea razboi mondial, Editura Militara, Bucuresti, 1989 (vol. 1), p. 205

*** Ministry of the National Defense Archive, Ministry of Air and Navy section (“fond”), old inventory, dossier no. 501/1338, page 4, in Pascu, S., Ceausescu, I., Musat M.., Ardeleanu I. (coord.) - Romania in anii celui de-al doilea razboi mondial, Editura Militara, Bucuresti, 1989 (vol. 1), p. 205

This post has been edited by Agarici on July 21, 2005 01:49 am

I've found a site containing an impressive database with cammo and markings for military airplanes, since WW 1 up to present: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/266/12 . Using it, I’m trying to create a list with the profiles of the airplanes in use in the Romanian air force, in 1940. Most of the profiles represent the pre-axis cammo and marking pattern. Here I should add that a particularity of the Romanian pre-WW 2 air force was the use of the national roundels in four position (on wings, below and above), and of national colors on the plane’s tail - similar with the pre-WW 2 Yugoslavian or US air forces. Also there was a preliminary “Axis-type” model of cammo (and markings), including the national roundels and the yellow fuselage band, wingtips and engine cowling (from the end of 1940 until the spring-summer of 1941); I use “pre-Axis” expression for the profiles use before that autumn 1940.

Some of the profiles might be mistaken; if it’s the case, I’m waiting for suggestions.

FIGHTERS:

- PZL 11 f (pre-Axis):
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww15/f/237/213/0/2
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww15/f/237/213/0/2_b1
PZL 11 c (b?), 1935-1936: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww15/f/237/213/0/1

- PZL 24:
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww15/f/36/213/0/1

- Heinkel He 112 B-1&B-2(pre-Axis):
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/228/213/0/1
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/228/213/0/2
Camouflage model around June 1941- a He 112 B-1 from Grupul 5 vanatoare. According to that site, “Romanian He.112's has two distinct paint schemes, half of them retained the original overall RLM63, while the other half were camouflaged with a wavy two-tone Green (RLM70/71) upper surfaces and Light Blue (RLM65) undersurfaces, the spinner was 3/4 Yellow and 1/3 Black”: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/228/12/0/3

- Messerschmitt Me 109 E-3:
Me 109 E-3, the intermediary pro-Axis cammo&markings: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/32/213/0/1

- Hawker Hurricane Mk. 1:
British cammo, Romanian Axis-type markings; again, try to picture it without the Michael cross and the yellow “nose” and fuselage band: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/79/12/0/2

This post has been edited by Agarici on November 14, 2010 11:47 am

BOMBERS:

- Heinkel He 111 H-3:
German H-3, no reliable profile found for a Romanian one; the Romanians He 111s were probably painted in green (two-tones?)-light blue, with the national roundels on the wings and national colors on the direction: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/315/2/1/11

- PZL 37 Los A&B:
PZL 37 B, summer 1940: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/266/12/0/4

- Bloch MB 210 Verdun:
Roundels instead of crosses, no markings and yellow band on the fuselage: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww15/b/858/12/0/1

- Savoia-Marchetti SM 79 B (with K 14 engines):
Spring 1941; I wonder if the profile is correct, even without the white fuselage band: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/314/12/0/3

This post has been edited by Agarici on April 06, 2006 04:13 pm

ASSAULT AIRPLANES:

- Potez 63 B-2:
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/f/346/213/0/1

- PZL 23 Karas B:
Romanian pro-Axis markings: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww15/b/35/12/0/1

This post has been edited by Agarici on April 06, 2006 04:11 pm

OBSERVATION AND RECONAISSANCE:

- IAR 37 (light bomber, observation):
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/o/319/12/0/8

- IAR 38 (observation-bomber) - Axis-type cammo and markings:
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/o/319/12/0/12
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/o/319/12/0/5

- IAR 39 (observation-bomber) - Axis-type cammo and markings:
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/o/319/12/0/3
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/o/319/12/0/6

- Bristol-Blenheim Mk. 1 (reconnaissance-bomber):
British cammo, Axis markings, june 1941: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/50/12/0/3

Hi Agarici,

At least some of those drawings are illegal captures from French aircraft magazines. I imagine that their publication on the net is illegal as it deprives the artists and publishers of their rightful dues.

Cheers,

Sid.

Hi Guys,

A war requires two sides.

What was the orbat of the Hungarian air force in August 1940?

Cheers,

Sid.

Damn right. Other drawings were copied from other publications (including my books).
If only the sources would be properly mentioned at least...

Gen. Dénes

It is true. Several profiles were indeed copied from Dénes' book published by S. Signal.
Btw, the P.23 "Karaś" B profile was pirated from T. Kopański and K. Sikora monograph on the P.23, published by AJ Press (Gdańsk, 1995).
The rest of the profiles were scanned from issues of French periodicals "Avions" and "Airmagazine"...

Ruy

Dear all,

I have a new interrogation concerning the 7th Fighter Group and the number of Me 109 E in service in the Romanian Royal Aeronautics in June 1940.

According to this site, that unit was created on June 1 1940, including the 53rd squadron (with Hawker Hurricane Mk. 1) and the 57th squadron (with Messerschmitt Me 109 E). As it is already known, 12 Hurricanes were delivered from UK in the end of 1939 in kits and assembled in Romania, and their number was to remain constant (in any case not increasing), unless after the fall of Yugoslavia to the Germans. But what about the Messerschmitts? According to both Istoria aviatiei romane (1984) - quoted by P. Out in Imbrăţişarea anacondei... - and Denes Bernard's Rumanian aces of World War 2 (2003), by June 1940 there were 20 Me 109 E in Romanian service. So, if the figure is accurate, were all those planes part of a single squadron - which would be quite unlikely, in my opinion?

And another thing, when din the 53 squadron became independent?